Chipped tooth, seen by vet - is a repeat visit for GA investigation necessary?

[badger2503]

Hi all,

My boar Django has seen the vet today as yesterday he was having trouble taking bites of his veg. He is eating his pellets and hay normally and has a healthy appetite, but he seemed unable to take a bite from the crunchy veg despite his best efforts. When I chopped it down to bitesize chunks, he was able to eat it, so I suspected an issue with his front teeth and the vet confirmed he has chipped one of his lower front teeth. Not sure how this has happened, but I'm assuming probably during a ruckus with his cagemate.

He's been prescribed loxicom once a day for pain relief, although having read up on chipped and broken teeth in guinea pigs I'm unsure how necessary this is and how far it will go to improving his eating since surely his difficulty biting would be a mechanical issue due to the uneven teeth rather than related to physical pain? I don't know so any advice would be so appreciated!

She was unable to check his back teeth but she didn't say she had seen any ulcers or damage in the rest ot his mouth. What she did say was that if he didn't improve over the weekend I should bring him back in so they can do a GA investigation of his mouth and backteeth to look for an issue. This is what I'm really not sure of. Would it be realistic to expect improvement of a chipped tooth in that short a time? I don't know how much has been chipped or how long it takes them to grow back, but I've seen posts suggesting a few weeks.

He's not lost weight, he's eating pellets, hay and drinking water, he's bright and normal (the vet called him a character), he just has this tooth issue that is affecting how he takes bites of veg but we're getting around that with softer veg and making them smaller for him.

Is the risk of GA really worth it to investigate further? Or should I trust my vet knows what they're doing and take him back in on Monday if there's no improvement? Advice would be much appreciated, or if anyone knows an experienced dental vet I could call for advice? I'm based in Stafford, UK.

 

[Siikibam]

There are experienced vets in Northampton (Cat & Rabbit clinic) who are the best for dental. They do it conscious and piggies usually start eating well within hours. Give them a call and see when your boy can be seen.

Did the veg say why she couldn’t check his back teeth? All the best. It’s good if he’s not losing weight and can still eat finely cut veg.

 

[Bill & Ted]

I would book an appointment with Simon or Kim Maddock at the Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton. They are number one for experience with dental issues and no anaesthetic is needed as they do conscious inspections and dentals if required. They are fantastic vets who perform around 30 plus dentals week on guinea pigs. They will be able to have a good look inside the mouth using specialist devices and tell you what the problems is. Chipped incisors are not a problem generally, the teeth constantly grow and once meet will wear and sharpen the edges correctly. An appointment and conscious dental costs £60 plus a one off similar priced registration fee, no referrals are needed

 

[badger2503]

There are experienced vets in Northampton (Cat & Rabbit clinic) who are the best for dental. They do it conscious and piggies usually start eating well within hours. Give them a call and see when your boy can be seen.

Did the veg say why she couldn’t check his back teeth? All the best. It’s good if he’s not losing weight and can still eat finely cut veg.

Thanks I'll give them a call.

She said he was too wriggly and there was food in there so she couldn't get a good look at them. He had an issue last year when he had a cut on the roof of his mouth that wasn't healing, and I asked about his back teeth then and the same vet said they can't look without GA.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Checking the back teeth consciously requires skill and specialist gags and cheek separators, very few vets bother to buy this equipment for guinea pigs/rabbits, that’s why they have to sadly anaesthetise the pet, putting it under unnecessary risk

 

[Siikibam]

Checking the back teeth consciously requires skill and specialist gags and cheek separators, very few vets bother to buy this equipment for guinea pigs/rabbits, that’s why they have to sadly anaesthetise the pet, putting it under unnecessary risk

So is it not standard for them to be able to check back teeth without putting them under?

 

[badger2503]

Checking the back teeth consciously requires skill and specialist gags and cheek separators, very few vets bother to buy this equipment for guinea pigs/rabbits, that’s why they have to sadly anaesthetise the pet, putting it under unnecessary risk

Thank you! I'll try to get an appointment with the cat and rabbit clinic if he's not improved over the weekend.

I'm so glad I asked on here. It's difficult because you want to trust the vets and their advice, but something just didn't sit right with what they were recommending.

 

[Bill & Ted]

So is it not standard for them to be able to check back teeth without putting them under?

No not really, they cannot see right into the back and look at the very back molars. Sometimes a vet will hold the head of the piggie and shine a torch into their mouth but that is not correct, they cannot possibly see that much. Guinea pigs have such tiny mouths

 

[Siikibam]

Thank you! I'll try to get an appointment with the cat and rabbit clinic if he's not improved over the weekend.

I'm so glad I asked on here. It's difficult because you want to trust the vets and their advice, but something just didn't sit right with what they were recommending.

I would book him in anyway next week, even if he's still eating okay. Simply because he's not able to chew 'hard' veg. Just so they can check the back teeth and see what may/not need doing about the chipped tooth.